Germany facing violent-videogame ban

Just days after rape games hit the buffers in Japan, it has emerged that several of Germany’s politicians hope to ban the production and distribution of all violent videogames in the country.

Sixteen Interior Ministers have reportedly banded together in an effort to demand that Germany’s national parliament introduce the ban prior to the country’s next election, scheduled for 27 September.

Germany is home to several high-profile game development firms, including Crytek.

Details haven’t emerged about how such a ban would be enforced, but its introduction would likely reignite arguments worldwide over how deeply a violent game’s content affects the player.

Although there’s never been any conclusive evidence to support the view that playing, say, Grand Theft Auto for 15 hours each day turns you into a gun-crazed maniac, although there are many examples of people that supposedly have been.

Germany’s no exception. Earlier this year, for example, 15 people were gunned down at a German school by a former pupil. It was alleged shortly afterwards that the pupil often spent many hours playing videogames, such as Counter Strike. One senior German police official later called for violent videogames to be banned. ®